APA serving meals to dozens of hungry residents in the city every Sunday

Monday

Nov 18, 2013 at 12:01 AMNov 18, 2013 at 9:31 PM

Students are fighting local hunger

Junious Smith III / Staff Writer

A trial period set up by a church is allowing a local school group to assist hungry Kinston residents an additional day.

The Arendell Parrott Academy Senior Beta Club, with permission from St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, is using Mary’s Soup Kitchen on Sundays to cook and serve meals to the homeless and hungry in the community.

Mary Leighton, a teacher at Parrott and the Senior Beta Club advisor, said the project was a part of the group’s mission.

“The goal of the Senior Beta Club this year is to stop hunger,” Leighton said. “They’re here to keep the kitchen open on Sunday.”

The school’s public information director, Terah Archie, said the students have served dozens of citizens at the soup kitchen, including more than 85 on Sunday.

“They come in at 8 a.m. to set up, open up at 10, and make sure everyone is fed and out the door by 11:30,” Archie said. “They also try to do seconds so everyone can leave satisfied, and then they clean up the kitchen and dining area.”

Natalie Shammas, Beta Club president, developed the concept after taking a school trip to Washington, D.C.

“When we went on the trip, we gained awareness about homelessness,” Shammas said. “People only focus on metropolitan areas, but the issue is also in our own community. We received a grant from The Pilgrimage in D.C., and we used the money to jumpstart the project.”

Vice president William Archie looked at Mary’s Soup Kitchen as a good place to assist.

“The soup kitchen is open six days a week, which bothered me because people are still hungry on Sunday,” he said. “I thought it was a good idea to serve meals on Sunday, especially with Natalie creating the concept of stopping hunger this year.”

The assistance may be short-lived. The service is done on a trial period; without a sustainable group of volunteers and additional funding, the last Sunday of meals will be served Dec. 29.

Still, Terah Archie is optimistic about receiving assistance, especially after there were doubts the Beta Club’s project would be successful initially.

“Someone at my church thought it wouldn’t work and were amazed when it did,” Archie said. “Once people found out, they came out. The goal is not just to have Parrott do this, but other church groups and faith groups. If they’re committed, we welcome them to take on the community service.”

One of the citizens served, Arthur Wallace, said it was great to have the additional day for the kitchen to be operational.

“It’s a blessing for it to be open on Sunday,” Wallace said. “People are hungry seven days a week and a lot of people are homeless and can’t get food stamps.”

Another citizen, Adrian Hooper, said the Beta Club had a good concept.

“It’s an alright program, and they’re doing a pretty good job to me,” Hooper said.

On Monday, Nov. 25, Arendell Parrott will have a “Stop Hunger” food packaging event to help others across the globe. The school has raised more than $2,500 in the event and will package 20,000 dehydrated meals for hunger relief across the nation and worldwide — twice as many as last year.

“These kids are truly committed to helping out the community,” Terah Archie said.

Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.

Want to help?

The Arendell Parrott Academy Senior Beta Club is looking for these items to continue serving people at Mary’s Soup Kitchen. All items can be sent to the school at 1901 Dobbs Farm Road.

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